Two Direct Disciples

However, the master and apprentice were of one mind and knew it was best not to say such things on the spot. After all, these two children were just feeling empty inside, but they weren't stupid.

My encounters with Kimimaro and Haku were all accidental... Yes, that's right, it was all fate that brought us together.

Shuichi shifted his gaze from Kimimaro and then carefully observed Orochimaru, discovering that the latter's Mental Energy was extremely active and its intensity had increased significantly.

"It seems I should congratulate you in advance. I guess your dream will come true soon!" As Orochimaru's disciple, he had been secretly in contact with him quite a bit over the past year.

After breaking free from the village's taboos and restrictions, the pace of research into immortality has accelerated significantly. Shuichi speculates that Orochimaru is currently preparing for the Soul Eternity Technique, and the actual implementation will not be long in the future.

"I've made some progress, I suppose!" Orochimaru said casually. "What surprises me most is your improvement in strength. I heard about the recent war; I really wonder what level you'll reach in the future..."

Kimimaro relaxed as the two chatted casually. The purple-haired youth opposite him seemed like a good person, but his beastly intuition told him that the other party was terrifying, and it was best not to provoke him now.

Although it was a bit of a pity that he didn't get Kimimaro, Shuichi didn't care. Instead, he reminded him, "You must have been paying attention to the rebellion in Kirigakure last night. This child should be the only survivor of the Kaguya Clan."

"You probably don't understand the research on Kekkei Genkai as thoroughly as I do. If the ability is too powerful, it's not good for the human body; it could very well lead to various diseases, premature aging, and a shortened lifespan."

Seeing Orochimaru's thoughtful expression, Shuichi continued, "This kid is indeed outstanding, but it also indicates that his body is in trouble."

"Before Land of Water, I collected a lot of information in the village, mostly provided by the Hyuga and Uchiha. They were a powerful clan during the Warring States Period, and they knew many secrets of the Kaguya Clan."

"The Shikotsumyaku) Kekkei Genkai makes the body abnormal to humans, and the number of times Cell Division is limited. You'd better get Kaguya Clan's medical records as soon as possible and start targeted treatment early, otherwise he may not live much longer."

Hearing this, Orochimaru also became serious. It seemed that in addition to finding more human subjects, he also needed to find a way to enter Kirigakure to check some information, which was a troublesome matter.

After giving Shuichi left it at that and prepared to return to Konoha. Just before leaving, he seemed to remember something, and a slight smile appeared on his lips, "By the way, when Anko found out you were leaving the village, she cried her eyes out, and even I was left out in the cold..."

Upon hearing news of the innocent girl, Orochimaru quickly revealed a wicked smile, "Anko, I really do miss her. I'll send her a small gift then!"

Shuichi: "..."

Even a time traveler like him found Orochimaru's ideas somewhat unacceptable; they were probably just too avant-garde.

Anko might be imbued with the Cursed Seal, feeling Orochimaru's deep love. Shuichi understands his thoughts. "Since you are someone I care about, let our souls merge, and then we'll be together forever!"

As for the other party not wanting to accept it? Perhaps their level of understanding is insufficient...

The Third Hokage of Konoha has been in a bad mood lately.

The youngest son, Asuma, felt he had grown too powerful because he Jonin a veteran Jonin in a battle against the Kumogakure, and the result was a draw for a short time.

This record is quite impressive for a minor ninja, and he believes that such strength is enough for him to make his way in the Shinobi World.

That was indeed the case. As long as he didn't deliberately provoke renowned experts, his Jonin strength at least ensured his safety. So, after leaving a letter at home, Asuma found an opportunity to leave the village alone.

This was a personal matter for the Hokage, but Sarutobi Hiruzen also encountered considerable trouble regarding the development of the village.

Since Shisui's cohort of students graduated, Konoha's Ninja Academy has failed to produce any outstanding talents. Not only are they not comparable to Kakashi and Shisui, but they can't even find children with potential approaching that of Gekko Hayate, which is a great worry for the Third Hokage.

In other words, even after training so many graduates until their early twenties and spending more than a decade on their education, they still don't reach the level of Special Jonin.

During the Third Great Ninja War, most of the village's core Jonin were over 30 years old, and many had hidden injuries. Their strength would definitely decline drastically when they reached their 40s or 50s.

While elite training is a trend, if these elites can't even become Jonin, then Konoha's overall strength will decline significantly.

"Sigh..." The Third Hokage sighed. Although the Ninja Academy had produced another "freak" in the past two years, it couldn't mask the overall lack of quality.

Thinking about these worries, he could only take out his Crystal Ball from under the table and watch some movies to pass the time.

"Tap tap tap..."

The scene had just shifted to the vicinity of the women's bathhouse when clear footsteps echoed in the corridor, abruptly interrupting the Third Hokage's illegal act. It was like a bucket of cold water being poured over his head, quickly extinguishing his excitement.

The newcomer made no attempt to conceal his footsteps, and skillfully pushed open the door after arriving. It was Shuichi, who had returned from the Land of Water.

"Oh, so you're working hard!" Shuichi saw the Third Hokage sitting upright and working on documents.

The other person had no idea he had X-ray vision Cheat/System, able to see inside the Crystal Ball from downstairs, so there were actually two people watching the video...

The Third Hokage sensed something in Shuichi's gaze, but couldn't fathom the truth. Instead, he spoke earnestly about his reconnaissance mission, "I heard you returned with a child. There have been rumors of internal strife in the Land of Water. Is there any connection between these two events?"

Shuichi replied, "There's no direct connection, but a major event did happen in Kirigakure. The entire Kaguya Clan rebelled and has now been wiped out by Kirigakure."

The Third Hokage's expression turned serious upon hearing this. He quickly took the detailed report from the man's hands and sighed after a long silence, "It's gotten this serious. It seems the village needs to withdraw some of its forces from that area."

Internal strife in other countries is actually a good thing for the Land of Fire. However, the Dark Operatives who have been lying in wait are likely to fall into the range of attacks, so it's better to bring them back sooner rather than later.

After discussing the important matters, the next step was to address the other minor issues, starting with the white one that Shuichi brought back.

"What do you plan to do with that child? Is there anything special about him?" the Third Hokage asked.

"No need for an orphanage, let him come with me; you could consider it adoption." Shuichi explained, "He's a descendant of the Yuki Clan, and he awakened the power of Ice Release during a moment of emotional turmoil. I tested him on the way, and he possesses extremely high ninja talent."

"If I were to train him, he could become a top -Jonin proficient in multiple attributes and Medical Ninjutsu by around the age of 16."

The Third Hokage was quite surprised, but then he thought it was understandable since it was someone Shuichi back.

"Let's go through the procedures and check it. As long as there are no problems, we can let him into the Ninja Academy."

A child prodigy with Ice Release Kekkei Genkai, young enough to have ample time to integrate into the village, Konoha certainly wouldn't let such a promising individual slip by.

It would be more troublesome if they were over 6 years old. If they didn't grow up with the Ninja Academy, it would be difficult for them to gain the trust of the other ninjas in the village, and they might just be placed in an orphanage.

"How did you bring him back? Did you use any special techniques?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked curiously.

Shuichi seemed to have opened a new world for him. Since his own village couldn't find any promising talents for the time being, importing them from outside seemed like a good option.

However, the conditions were too harsh. First, the child had to be young enough and an orphan, and second, they had to have strong ninja talent to be considered worth bringing back. Therefore, the Third Hokage wanted to know if Shuichi had any special search techniques.

Shuichi grinned. "It was pure luck to run into him. I felt sorry for him, so I gave him a piece of bread, and he willingly came with me."

Third Hokage: "..."

He could only suppress his unrealistic thoughts. Let alone a loaf of bread, if a thousand loaves of bread could be exchanged for a top genius with Kekkei Genkai, the Land of Fire would definitely be willing to give its full support. Unfortunately, such things really depend on luck.

After settling things off with Haku, Sarutobi Hiruzen quickly thought of something else, "Your timing is perfect. The Ninja Academy graduation season has just ended. I'm considering having you take on a disciple. What do you think?"

"You mean Itachi, right..." Shuichi replied calmly. In fact, he had been planning this for a while, and the Third Hokage bringing it up was exactly what he wanted. "I've run into Teacher Sanada before, and he's mentioned him too. I'm quite familiar with that kid; we've known each other for almost three years. Taking him as my apprentice is no problem at all."

Although the students at the Ninja Academy have been rather mediocre in recent years, one exceptional individual has emerged. In such a stark contrast, his excellence has shocked the newly appointed teachers.

To be able to enroll and graduate in just one year during peacetime, even with the Uchiha Clan Head's early training, is an absurdly strong talent.

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved!" The Third Hokage said in a deep voice, "Itachi's talent and temperament are both top-notch, but his personality is somewhat aloof. I hope you can guide him."

Over the years, the relationship between the Uchiha and the village has been relatively harmonious. They have contributed manpower and resources in many war missions, and the reform of the Security Force has also achieved good results. The Hokage lineage should indeed take action to win them over as is customary.

The village had already missed out on Shisui, mainly because they hadn't expected that Sannin and the Fourth Hokage would encounter problems, and Shuichi and Kakashi were also very young at the time, not to mention the aftermath of the Nine-Tails' Rampage.

If Itachi isn't trained this time, it could very well incur the wrath of the Uchiha Clan. After much deliberation, the Third Hokage decided to have Shuichi take him on as a student.

"Uh, looks like I'm in for a lot of work. Could you perhaps lighten my patrol duties a bit...?"

After leaving the Hokage Building, Shuichi realized it was still early. Knowing Itachi as he did, he figured the guy was probably training, so he decided to go look for the training grounds he remembered.

In the Shinobi World, genius is actually a worthless title; countless geniuses died in the Shinobi World War.

True geniuses not only possess exceptional ninja talent, but also strict self-discipline.

Itachi is the kind of person that everyone would call a genius. Behind his crushing of his peers is no small amount of hard work. His talent already far surpasses that of his classmates, and what's even more terrifying is that his level of effort completely overwhelms those immature children, making the gap between them immeasurable.

In a grove of trees on the edge of the village, a slightly thin figure took a deep breath, stood still, and carefully observed the target positions on the surrounding tree trunks before slowly relaxing his body.

Suddenly, with a soft "whoosh," he leaped into the air and stood upside down, his hands somehow filled with Kunai. In the instant he paused at the highest point, he unleashed a series of attacks.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh..."

Each time he swung his hands, he only loosened one finger, keeping the other Kunai firmly in his grasp. After four consecutive throws, he was still not done. He suddenly exerted force from his waist and abdomen, leaned back, and reached into his ninja tool pouch with his left hand, pulling out two Kunai. He threw one to his right hand at an invisible speed.

"Smack!"

After successfully catching it, the last two Kunai followed with even greater force, striking the Kunai, adjusting their direction, and sending them flying straight towards the target in the blind spot.

"The first shot was a bit off, the second shot wasn't powerful enough..." Itachi had already made his assessment after firing. Although all the Kunai hit the target, a total of 4 shots missed the bullseye.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

To his surprise, four Shuriken suddenly flew out of the nearby woods, their target not him, but the Kunai that seemed to miss their mark. "Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"

"Knock knock knock..."

After landing, Itachi quickly scanned all the targets and, incredibly, hit the center of every single one. The newcomer's ninja tool skills were simply outrageous.

"Shuichi- senpai, it's you!" He didn't show any surprise. The two had practiced together many times before, so only Shuichi would come specifically to find him.

"You're a bit boring, kid..." Shuichi walked over with a relaxed expression. "I think I said this technique is a bit too early for you. Once your Sharingan awakens, you'll definitely be able to master it easily."

"I think this is a good way to hone your skills," Itachi calmly replied. "Besides, didn't you also mention that both Kekkei Genkai and Ninjutsu are just additional tools? How you use them is the most important thing, so I don't really care whether I can awaken my Sharingan or not?"

Shuichi was somewhat puzzled that he had ended up entangled in his own schemes. "Alright, that's certainly a reasonable suggestion, but you don't have to be so rigid! As a ninja, the key is to be flexible."

Itachi fell silent after hearing this, realizing he seemed to have been slightly tricked. "Did you come to see me for something?"

Shuichi's lips curled slightly, and with lightning speed, he tapped Itachi's forehead with two fingers of his right hand. As Itachi looked puzzled, he smiled and said, "It should be good news, right? From today onwards, I will take you as my personal disciple. You can call me teacher from now on. I wonder if you would be willing?"

Itachi was startled for a moment, but quickly recovered and looked at him solemnly. "Yes, teacher!"

"... Come with me, I'll introduce you to a new companion, who's also your junior. Let's celebrate tonight!"